


There’s no Way we could Disguise it Secretly

by Laisaxrem



Series: This is Us (english version) [22]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Poor Shikamaru, he's seen things that you people wouldn't believe, improper use of the hokage office
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:56:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28553502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laisaxrem/pseuds/Laisaxrem
Summary: Four times Shikamarureallyshould have knocked before entering the Hokage's office.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nara Shikamaru & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: This is Us (english version) [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976788
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57





	1. Take me to your Love Shack

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [There’s no Way we could Disguise it Secretly](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28552506) by [Laisaxrem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laisaxrem/pseuds/Laisaxrem). 



> TITLE: (I’ve had) The Time of my Life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DATE: Thursday, 3rd January 1693  
> TITLE: Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

Shikamaru dangled through the streets of Konoha, the pungent air of January annoying his face and turning his cheeks red. It was still early, he knew it well, but that night he had slept badly (as often happened around the anniversary of Asuma’s death) and had decided that he might as well go to work so he could go home earlier that evening.

As he walked quietly, occasionally bowing his head to respond to greetings, his gaze reached the seventh face on the Hokage mountain and a smile stretched his lips. Twenty years ago he wouldn’t have bet a ryo on it, and instead, in the end, Naruto had become Hokage.

Naruto had been elected Nanadaime Hokage less than a year earlier but the hat change had gone quite smoothly. Obviously, Naruto had spent years supporting Kakashi in the duties of Konoha’s leader, learning tactics and diplomacy (both qualities he practically lacked), as well as history, economics and a huge amount of other essential notions to guide one of the five major Ninja Villages of the world. So Shikamaru was relived because now not only was Naruto the strongest ninja of Konoha but he was also its leader. And the fact that he was in a stable relationship with the other most powerful shinobi in the world was an added bonus.

Without even realizing it, he found himself inside the corridors of the palace. He was not the only one, of course: at the Hokage palace there was always someone, at every hour of the night and day, whether the Nanadaime was in the office or not.

He was almost at his office when quick footsteps roused him from his thoughts and a «Shikamaru-senpai!» shouted by a voice too enthusiastic for that hour of the morning made him turn around.

Yurito, blond hair, bright smile, was running towards him, some rolls tight to his chest. He had started working in the Hokage office a couple of years after Shikamaru, when he had been a chūnin for a few months and, although he was now one of the most skilled secretaries in the palace and with more than a decade of experience behind him, he continued to calling him “senpai”… which irritated him enough. Had he tried to make him desist from using the honorific? At least a thousand times. But there was no way, either with pleas or with threats (and Shikamaru increasingly understood Kakashi’s unease of all those past years).

«This came from Suna just a minute ago. They say it’s urgent», the shinobi told him.

Shikamaru immediately took the scroll that was brought to him and quickly scanned the contents. Then he internally breathed a sigh of relief: nothing serious, indeed, good news.

«Thanks, Yurito. As soon as Naruto arrives I’ll –»

«Oh, he’s already here», he interrupted him, pulling the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket (and Shikamaru eyed them longingly, his hand quivering to run to his, internally cursing the day he’d decided to quit smoking). «He arrived about an hour ago, a few minutes after me. Yes, I was as amazed as you are, senpai, but he said he got a message from Sasuke-san last night telling him that he would arrive in the morning to report on the mission and he wanted to be here to greet him».

«Mmm», Shikamaru muttered. If Sasuke was returning it meant Naruto would be more out of focus, eager to go home soon to spend time with his partner. A drag. «Okay. Then I’ll bring it to him right away, before Sasuke arrives. Oh, could you get the material about the –»

«About the Hyūga clan. Yes, I know, everything is ready». And that’s why they had been collaborating so well for more than a decade: at work they were wonderfully in tune. «See you in half an hour, senpai. I’ll have your usual tea waiting for you».

Shikamaru moaned again and walked towards the Hokage office, a smile on his face. Over the last few years, office work had become more and more manageable, especially since, at the insistence of Kakashi (and Sakura), he had hired helpers like Yurito: running a Village was a much harder job than it might seem and the paperwork never ran out, so having a few trusted people to turn to was definitely good… and perhaps the only way to not get drunk every day.

Shaking his head a little Shikamaru returned to concentrate on the work and on the roll he held in his hand. He opened it again and peeked at the content, this time reading it more calmly as he walked down the deserted corridor; it was important information about a band of Nukenin who had been prowling on the border with Ame for weeks and had plundered some towns in both Countries. It was nothing urgent but maybe they would be useful to the team that was on reconnaissance in those parts. Nothing vital, really, but before they had that information in hand, the sooner they could have changed their plans. He had to have Naruto read it.

When he finally found himself in front of the door he opened it immediately. He had always knocked, with Kakashi, but Naruto had expressly ordered him not to, to enter always and in any case because he trusted that, if Shikamaru went to the office, it was certainly for a very good reason (Hokage’s words, not Shikamaru’s).

So he didn’t knock. Big mistake. Terrible, horrible mistake. Because before his eyes a scene opened that he did not want to see and that he knew would remain etched in his memory right up to his deathbed.

Naruto was on all fours on the desk, without a shirt, his knees planted firmly on the wood between Sasuke’s legs who had his pants pulled down to his ankles and the only arm surrounding his partner’s neck while kissing him with transport. With horror, Shikamaru realized that Naruto’s prosthetic hand was slipped into his lover’s boxers and was moving unmistakably.

He felt himself flush just as the two separated with a humid noise and Shikamaru suddenly found himself pinned to the ground by their gaze.

«Shikamaru!» Naruto exclaimed as he stood straight, his face red as a pepper, _his hand still dipped in Sasuke’s boxers_ whose gaze looked very similar to that of when he was a kid seeking revenge. «Ahh. Uhm… What…?»

«A dispatch has come from Suna about those nukenin in Ame», he hastened to interrupt his friend’s stammering as he himself struggled with embarrassment, his eyes trying to stay fixed on his face and not descend on that hand _that still was in a very intimate place_.

«Ah yes, I’ll deal with it later», said the Nanadaime, the blush now spreading to the neck and shoulders. And in the meantime Sasuke hadn’t moved an inch, his black eye focused on Shikamaru (and if a glance could kill…). «Could you leave it… er… leave it…»

But Naruto did not have to gasp further to finish the thought because Shikamaru had already placed the scroll on a piece of furniture a couple of meters from the door and had quickly retraced his steps.

«Call me if you need me. Now, if you’ll excuse me», and he turned, more eager than ever to get out of that damn office. He was already outside, the door half closed, when Naruto bent over his partner again and sank his teeth into his shoulder. Kami-sama.

«Hey, Shikamaru», the Hokage called before he could close the door to go and throw himself off the Mount. «Why don’t you and the others take a couple of hours off?»

He grunted and closed the door on another bite (with Sasuke’s badly restrained moan).

Finally out of the office, Shikamaru felt deflated. Why him? What harm had he done?

«They don’t pay me enough to put up with these things», he muttered as he grabbed the pack of cigarettes from one of his pockets and quickly put one in his mouth… and then put it back instantly: _damned_ the day he decided to quit smoking.

Hurrying to get away from the soft sound of another moan (a silencing seal, fuck! Was that too much to ask?) He walked back to his office where Yurito stared at him for a second.

«Senpai, what –»

«Don’t ask», he interrupted, absently raising a hand and running it over his face: yes, it was still quite red. «You don’t want to know, trust me. Anyway, the Hokage has… graciously granted us a couple of hours of freedom. Tell everyone to go for a ride; and tell the necessary staff to stay away from the office. _Very far_ ».

«What happened?»

«You don’t want to know», he repeated, while glancing at the material on the Hyūga clan… and then leaving it there and heading towards the exit, his kohai in tow. Oh no. Naruto had said two free hours and he had _no intention_ of taking that stuff with him.

«Oh, come on», Yurito pleaded, his face as bright as a child’s on his birthday. «You’re as red as a pepper. Something _had_ happened. Of course! What happened? Huh? What happened?»

Shikamaru froze, ready to scold him but… oh, well, he was the one insisting, after all.

«Sasuke is back», he said simply and left him there, with his confused look, unravelling the problem. It was unlikely that he would connect things quickly, but Yurito was an impatient man and the chances of him coming back to the subject after their forced break were few… whether he revealed the mystery or not. For him it was a win in both cases.

Giving away absently with a wave of his hand, Shikamaru went out into the sun and began walking through the streets of Konoha, now much more animated.

He didn’t want to go home. Shikadai and Shikari had spent the night with his mother and would remain with her until lunchtime, and Temari had returned from a mission the previous evening and when he had left he had suggested that she lie down and rest a few more hours. He _wanted_ to be with his wife, really (and quell that need they hadn’t been able to relieve the previous evening, both too exhausted to do more than a little bit of cuddles), but most of all he didn’t want to be forced to tell why he wasn’t at work: she would have had a blast but he would have had a lot less fun. So he decided that he would go to one of his favourite places to observe the sky. And maybe then he would drop by to say hi to Asuma.

Now that he was a man with a plan, Shikamaru changed direction, taking an alley surrounded by trees. He had entered the main street, his destination only a few hundred meters, when a voice roused him.

«Yo, Shikamaru».

Kakashi was behind him, one hand in the trouser pocket of his uniform, the other raised as a greeting. It was surprising that he had known him for twenty years and hadn’t changed one iota. The only sign of the passage of time on his face were small wrinkles around the eyes and, even if they were not visible with the mask on, at the corners of the mouth. It was such a familiar sight that Shikamaru felt a bit of the tension that he had not noticed he felt vanish from his shoulders.

«Rokudaime-sama», he greeted him, bowing his head slightly in respect.

«Come on, come on, it seemed to me we had come to an agreement on this many years ago», Kakashi protested as he approached, the reproach in his voice but the smile evident in his grey eyes. «What are you doing out of the office at this time?»

Shikamaru shrugged and resumed his slow walk through the streets of the Village, the man who walked next to him.

«At this moment my service is neither necessary nor wanted».

«Did something happen?»

Shikamaru shook his head, and had he not been so annoyed and embarrassed he would have found Kakashi’s concern almost comical.

«I never understood how discreet you and Sakura were when you were Hokage», he said by way of explanation, aware that the man would have jumped at the allusion.

«Ah, I see. Sasuke just got back from his mission, huh?»

Shikamaru grunted and Kakashi’s giggle almost made him smile. Almost.

Then he felt the man’s hand resting on his shoulder and there was still laughter in his voice when he asked him: «Shall we play a game of shōgi?» And _that_ made him smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was there, not finished in Drive for months. Months. And it's a story I love to death. And today the miracle happened: I finished the first chapter.  
> I'll have to wait a bit for the next one, both because it's barely sketched, and because I absolutely have to introduce a character first.


	2. Just a Little Snack, Guys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> «Sasuke is under the desk, isn’t he?»

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DATE: Wednesday, 19th April 1694  
> TITLE: One Jump Ahead - Brad Kane

«Dispatch from the Daimyō!» Yurito cheerfully announced.

Shikamaru refrained from banging his forehead on the desk.

Dealing with the Daimyō had always been a pain in the ass, ever since Kakashi’s time (he still remembered that summoning that had kept him away from the Village for a month or the countless times an urgent call had come in the middle of the night, often for the most absurd reasons), but it was a prerogative of the Daimyō to be a torment and it was their job to manage his whims… after all, it was from him that the money that kept Konoha and the entire ninja system that they had been working hard to improve over the past fifteen years came from.

Therefore, holding back the annoyance and the desire to burn the sheet, Shikamaru held out his hand and took it and then read it absently. As he wanted to demonstrate, nothing important. But the Daimyō demanded an immediate answer.

«Okay, I’ll go to Naruto», he announced, standing up with a sigh. He needed a vacation from all that politics and all those idiots. In fact, it had been a long time since they had brought the children to Suna, but his sense of duty prevented him from taking more than a couple of days off at a time. «You continue with this stuff».

«Yes sir»

Shikamaru shook his head but left the office with a smirk on his lips. Yurito’s enthusiasm was always a balm for his tired soul.

Although the journey from his office to Naruto’s was quite short, it was already mid-afternoon and the Hokage building was packed with people. Shikamaru greeted some people and was blocked by Shihiro, the old cleaning lady who had served in the palace since the election of the Sandaime and who knew everything that went on inside those walls, who told him how the daughter of one of the night watchmen had chickenpox. He had just managed to free himself when a team of genin almost bumped into him, busy as they were carrying boxes and piles of slightly faded rolls of missions. Yes, the tower always became an obstacle course in the afternoon and Shikamaru didn’t like it at all.

Finally he reached the office where two ANBUs were on guard and with a short nod Shikamaru knocked on the heavy wooden door and opened it just as Naruto invited him to enter.

«Ah… Shikamaru… What can I do for you?»

His friend was at his desk as usual, an awkward amount of papers and empty containers of instant ramen scattered on the wood. His cheeks were red and he seemed tremendously rigid in his chair and an alarm bell began to ring in his mind.

There was something strange and Shikamaru hastened to probe the room with the chakra. It took him a while (he wasn’t a sensor type ninja like Ino) but in the end he noticed something strange. Or rather, two strange things. First of all, a flickering from under the desk, like a minimal amount of chakra, barely perceptible. The second thing was that Naruto’s chakra was erratic, as if he were hurt or angry or uncomfortable… or excited. The lighting struck him suddenly.

Oh no. No. No no no. _Absolutely_ not! Not again. They had reached an agreement, Shikamaru had made it clear that this place was to remain just a workplace and Naruto _had agreed_. They had made a solemn pact. He had _sworn on their friendship_!

But the evidence was incontrovertible. Damn.

Squeezing his eyes a little to control the annoyance (and embarrassment) Shikamaru asked the question for which he already knew the answer.

«Sasuke is under the desk, isn’t he?»

«Err…»

That embarrassed cry and the blue eyes that seemed to be looking at everything but him were more than enough answers.

«What the hell, Naruto, we agreed! This is already the third time in six months», he blurted out as he struggled with embarrassment and memories. Damn, he had also resumed knocking on the door even though Naruto kept insisting it wasn’t necessary. Why did he keep finding himself in situations like this?

«I know, sorry Shikamaru. I broke my promise», Naruto retorted with a shrug… and a low moan. «But actually the second time he wasn’t really sucki- ouch!»

«Got it, I’m leaving», Shikamaru snarled, the heat spreading to his chest. «But I can give you half an hour, an hour at the most», he conceded, while already turning and retracing his steps.

«Five minutes will be more than enough», Naruto whispered, the smile evident in his voice.

«This is an information I didn’t need», he muttered while trying not to let those words settle in his mind. «Half an hour». And he closed the door.

Once in the corridor, Shikamaru leaned his forehead against the cool door, his eyes closed. He was distracted from his minute of meditation by a whispered laugh.

«It’s not funny, Sai», he grunted at what was practically his brother-in-law. He couldn’t see his face, so hidden behind the ANBU mask, but he knew he was smiling.

«A little bit it is».

With another grunt Shikamaru made his way to his office. He needed silence and a cup of tea… or some sake. Too bad it was afternoon.

«Hey, senpai, are you okay?» Yurito asked when he finally managed to get back to his desk. «Your cheeks are as red as a tomato. In fact, it often happens when you leave the Hokage office…»

«Yes, too often», he muttered. In fact… «Hey, Yurito, would you mind bringing me the vacation request forms?»

Oh yeah, he really deserved a few weeks in Suna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the end I decided to reverse chapters 2 and 3 both because this one was already practically ready while the other is just sketched, and because so I can postpone Tomoko's presentation.


End file.
